“Public Relations Officers are responsible for creating and maintaining a positive image with the public for companies, non-profits and government agencies. They typically are responsible for giving presentations and making speeches, often in front of large crowds. This very competitive field, which often includes highly visible, tight deadlines, keeps stress at high-levels for specialists. Some PR executives are required to interact with potentially hostile members of the media, especially after a disaster.”

According to CareerCast, the average annual salary for a PR exec is $91,810, an increase of nearly $2,000 from 2011.

CareerCast ranks the most-stressful jobs based on 11 factors (which you can read here), including travel, growth potential, working in the public eye, deadlines, hazards, own life at risk, and more.

Last year, CareerCast took some flak (on PR Daily and elsewhere online) for ranking public relations executive so high on the list, above careers in the military and law enforcement. Based on the 2012 list of stressful jobs, it appears CareerCast listened to its audience.